At the moment Joe Flamm became “Top Chef” on national television, Adrienne Cheatham was in her new apartment in New York talking her friends off the ledge, so to speak.

They were shocked.

“Everybody just looked like the wind was sucked out of them,” she said. “I’ve had eight months to wrap my mind around it, so I was like, ‘Guys, it’s OK.'”

Cheatham, 36, was speaking by phone from a New York subway station. A lot has happened since “Top Chef,” which she’ll get to in a minute. But first, we asked the runner-up to reflect on the finale.

Take us back to that moment where you were facing the judges, waiting for the ball to drop. What were you feeling?

I actually had a sense that Joe was going to win based on a few things said at the Judges’ Table. You want to prepare yourself for either outcome. I thought there was a good chance based on the risks that I took that I had a chance but at no point did I think I’ve won this, no. I thought it was a possibility.

Why did you decide to go out for “Top Chef?”

I wasn’t interested in television necessarily. I was always very happy being hidden behind the doors that lead to the kitchen. But I got called to see if I’d be interested in it, and I was like, Yeah! I’d be stupid to let this opportunity pass me up because it is such a valuable experience.

During the run of the show, how did you stay focused when your thrown new challenges and criticisms on a daily basis?

Part of it is similar to being in a kitchen. Like, one day the plumbing could go out, the dishwasher can break, the gas could stop working – things happen every day that you try to roll with. It’s definitely more intense being on the show because you don’t know what you’re going to be cooking, you don’t know where you’re going to be cooking, you don’t know if you’re going to arm wrestle somebody or whatever the challenge is going to be.

But you just try to put your head down and realize that you’re there and not let anything else distract you.

Which judge had the biggest impact on you?

I think it was Tom (Colicchio). He had high expectations of not just me, but everyone, and I felt like I was letting him down in the beginning. He’d be like, ‘I can’t believe you’re putting out this food. You’re not living up to any of the potential you have.’

On “Top Chef,” you talked about wanting to open up your restaurant, but you’ve put that on hold and instead are doing a series of pop-up dinners. How come?

To open up a restaurant right now — because there are a lot of opportunities to do events around the country that come along right after the show ends — obviously, would tie me up for six months and it would be really hard to leave. So I want to give myself a little more flexibility.

I hear you’re getting married. Are any of the “Top Chef” folks coming to the wedding?

I’m getting married next week in New Orleans. It’s a small wedding, but actually, Carrie (Baird) is going to be in town judging a competition in New Orleans so she’s going to come to the wedding. Some of the other people are in restaurants so it’s hard for them to get away. Joe Flamm has a cousin’s wedding the same day as me.

But yeah, we’ve all kept in touch, and it just so happened that Carrie already took the weekend off from her restaurant so she’s coming. Carrie and I were close, so I’m really excited that she’s going to be there with us.”

Would you ever do another show like “Top Chef?”

Um, gosh, I don’t know. I would definitely love to judge, coach or mentor or be involved on the other side of it because I feel like I could impart my experience and help somebody with some words of advice. So I would definitely be up to doing some kind of show. I don’t know if I’d be up for doing something as long as “Top Chef,” again because that’s a time commitment like oh my god, you would not believe.

I definitely want to open a restaurant in the future, that’s been a goal of mine for a very long time. I’m also interested in other things. I grew up, literally, instead of watching cartoons watching Julia Child, Jacques Pepin and “Yan Can Cook” and all these cooking shows on PBS,

Los Angeles Daily News reporter Sandra Barrera has been writing about entertainment and lifestyle topics since 1998. Before joining the Daily News in 2000, she was a reporter for the Inland Valley Daily Bulletin in Ontario where she helped launch the now-defunct entertainment magazine 72HOURS as its music writer. Her reporting career at the Daily News has included fashion coverage from the red carpet at Hollywood's biggest awards shows, home and garden trends with a particular focus on earth-friendly alternatives and a wide range of events, from theater to the latest happenings at Six Flags Magic Mountain.

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